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Many thanks to writer-friend and Ozarks Writers League president Jan Morrill for inviting me to be a stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Tour!

You might have seen other authors at prolific writer Velda Brotherton’s site, and the gist of the event is this: Authors give insider peeks at their works in progress.

Now, I’m not sure about being the Next Big Thing. It sounds more like a reason to fear getting on the scale to me, but I’m all for hearing about upcoming stories. It’s like seeing a preview for a movie coming out next year. It gives you time to speculate on the players, gain excitement for the scope and setting, and yes – gossip to your friends about it.

So here’s a few tidbits on one of my (overwhelming) works in progress…

What is your working title of your book?

After Ever After

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’ve always been fascinated by the stories behind the stories. My mind goes off on a tangent – especially with well-known tales – and I want to know what happened to that interesting minor character. What was the inside scoop on how that story REALLY went down? (I have a nasty, suspicious mind and don’t trust authors to tell me all the dirt.)

I particularly want to explore the realm of fairy tales, where everybody has a different version of the same story – kind of like eyewitnesses to a car wreck, they all are sure it’s true from their point of view! I was working on this when the current re-interest in Grimm’s and Perault’s famous renderings gained national appeal. It’s wonderful that a topic can have such depth and breadth that it has nearly infinite possibilities.

What genre does your book fall under?

I would place it as a crossover novel between Young Adult and Adult Fantasy – a collection of themed, or related, short stories.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I love ensemble casts, where no one actor is really the star. I’m a big fan of British television and actors, so I’d take Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, Robert Carlyle, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, John Cleese, Hugh Laurie, Alan Cumming, and most of all…Benedict Cumberbatch (don’t you just want to hire him on the spot for having such a spectacular name?).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Not everyone gets a happily-ever-after, and it’s time they told you why.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I think I’d like to pursue this one with an agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I participated in Sleuth’s Ink’s JANO event last year, where all the members tried to write a book in the month of January. I managed about 12,000 words, and I’ve been adding to it since then. As a collection of short stories, I can just kind of keep going with it until I’ve really rounded out my theme.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It’s similar to other fiction writing I’ve done, in that I tend to have a strong narrative character’s voice, and a fair amount of humor. I also like to let my reader get a surprise at the end. The best reward for me, is to have a reader finish the story, then turn back to the beginning and start all over, looking for the moment they went another direction while I was really leading them down a different path.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I don’t think I was inspired by any one person or thing, but rather a nice realization that things I have loved all my life are nothing to be ashamed of. If you live long enough, you come back in style. Just look at skinny jeans and leg warmers.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I think the idea that it is the kind of book you can read in stolen moments and still get a satisfying story, both within the short stories, and overall. As a mom with two kids at home, juggling lots of career and education plates, I don’t have the luxury of immersing myself in a fictional world for too long. I appreciate getting little “flights of fancy” throughout my daily life.

I also believe the short story is vastly underrated in mainstream culture as a complete storytelling tool. I always look among my favorite authors for their collections of short stories – that is where their brilliance really shines, and their longer works tend to keep that tight, essential element in good writing that others lack.

Many thanks to Jan Morrill for the invitation to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Tour! Please visit her site, and these other hard-working writers for more insider looks at up-and-coming books!

In the spirit of summer vacation (not that I’ve had one in years…) the following poetry prompt is designed to let us stretch our horizons using another form of brief writing…The Postcard.

Write a poem in the disguise of a postcard message. Continue by writing a reply postcard message.

Keep the length brief, and give the recipient a sense of the place you’re visiting or the space you’re occupying. The location from which you write can be imagined or real. Alternatively, buy a postcard, and try to write a poem based on the image or photograph on the front of the postcard.

I am completely taken with Brain Pickings ongoing series, “Book Spine Poetry”. The idea is that by carefully selecting a few book titles and stacking them together, you can create a free verse poem. Take a look at the serendipitous samples HERE, then add your own creation below (I know you have books just laying around, waiting to become stars in a new poem…)

P.S. If you love haiku, this is going to be your new favorite!

Create a Book Spine Poem by layering titles to make a meaningful statement. These can be books you own, or notice at your local bookstore or online. (Photo is optional, but it’s nice to at least give credit to the authors’ works and their contribution to your poem.)

Like this:

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Karen B. Nelson

Writer & Educator

Karen Nelson is a writer and teacher in Southwest Missouri, specializing in educational and nonfiction works. Her years in the classroom and as a homeschool mom provide a unique perspective on education...and guarantee years of learning to come!

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AFTER EVER AFTER

A collection of re-imagined fairy tales for those who have left childhood behind. Coming Soon from Goldminds Publishing